It is sometimes useful to superimpose computer-generated graphics onto the real world view a camera is displaying. The appearance of the camera's view of the real world is subject to a complex combination of parameters, including, but not limited to, various light levels, movement, and areas of focus and blurring. In order to be most realistic, the appearance of the superimposed computer-generated graphics should maintain continuity with the camera's view of the real world.
This invention can be used any time a user needs to “see” an otherwise invisible object placed within the setting in which it would normally appear, and in this case, onto a video stream. This form of image “augmentation” is known as augmented reality (AR), and in this case is considered video-based AR since it is only a video camera, as opposed to a see-through setup (as might be done with partial mirrors). A video-based AR setup has only a few basic components, including (1) a camera with a known field of view (FOV), (2) a method to determine the position and orientation of the camera, (3) a method to determine the various other image parameters (such as focus, aperture, shading, etc.), and (4) a computer that creates computer-generated virtual objects that exhibit the same parameters as the image the camera is seeing by using the previous three components.
The invention creates an AR setup by using a simple, compact, inexpensive, integrated tracking system combined with an instrumented video camera in one small unit. Such a camera and tracking combination device is the EVI-D30 Motorized Camera, from Sony.